MORRISVILLE — SUNY has awarded selected campuses a total of $2.6 million in its green workforce grant program. SUNY Morrisville and SUNY Canton are among the campuses receiving funding in the initiative. The program seeks to help more students pursue clean-energy jobs through academic programs and “state-of-the art” training equipment. The grant is part of […]
MORRISVILLE — SUNY has awarded selected campuses a total of $2.6 million in its green workforce grant program.
SUNY Morrisville and SUNY Canton are among the campuses receiving funding in the initiative.
The program seeks to help more students pursue clean-energy jobs through academic programs and “state-of-the art” training equipment. The grant is part of SUNY’s ongoing efforts to help develop a skilled green workforce, representing “one of its goals within its Climate and Sustainability Action Plan as New York State moves to use more clean energy sources,” per the SUNY announcement.
SUNY Chancellor John King, Jr. announced the funding during an April 25 visit to SUNY Morrisville’s Automotive Technology Building.
Besides Morrisville and Canton, other campuses awarded funding include SUNY Adirondack, Alfred State, SUNY Cobleskill, Columbia-Greene Community College, SUNY Delhi, Farmingdale State College, Monroe Community College, Suffolk County Community College, SUNY Schenectady, and SUNY Ulster.
“Addressing climate change and thriving in the clean energy economy will require a highly-educated and well-prepared workforce,” King said the SUNY announcement. “That is why SUNY is committed to empowering our students with the skills and training they will need to advance their careers in high-demand fields. It was wonderful to discuss the Green Workforce Grant awards at SUNY Morrisville, and to meet with President David Rogers, faculty, and students to discuss what clean energy sustainability means for our state’s future and how these grants will open up pathways to job opportunities.”
SUNY Morrisville will use its funding to support the campus’s expansion of the “Electrical Vehicle (EV) Service Repair Technician Training” workforce program for 60 additional students.
With nearly $250,000 awarded, the campus will expand student scholarships to enroll in green workforce academic programs and credentials; purchase two EVs, EV charging stations, and training equipment; and provide students with more opportunities for paid internships. Faculty will also develop credit-bearing microcredentials for current students and for industry partners to upskill current employees.
The overall grant funding comes from Gov. Kathy Hochul’s SUNY Transformation Fund, SUNY noted.
“From its founding as a progressive agricultural institution over a century ago, SUNY Morrisville has a proud history of advancing globally sustainable practices and educating generations of committed environmental stewards,” SUNY Morrisville President David Rogers said in the announcement. “This Green Workforce Grant will allow us to provide updated specialized training and microcredentials for electric vehicles, including EV components and systems, charging infrastructure, and EV maintenance and repair. This training will allow new generations of SUNY Morrisville graduates to offer the technical support needed to sustain the EV marketplace and further advance both New York’s and SUNY’s ambitious sustainability goals.”
SUNY Canton will use its funding for heat pumps, building controls, EVs, and EV charging programs, per the announcement.
